Xavier gulped another shot of tequila welcoming the burning acidic taste of the beverage.
Nursing another in his hand he thought about his father's latest philandering with one of his much younger Mistress, a snobby little girl that he could swear was not a day older than his baby sister Melissa.
What bothers him more was that he was not in the least discreet about his activities not minding the embarrassment, the shame, and social death that could cause both his mom, his little sister who still idolizes the bastard, and the dear Salvador name he has been groomed and made to protect since he was 10.
Remembering his childhood he grimaced not knowing if he should call that period of his life that, there was nothing childlike in getting starved for six days straight because he Expressed interest in wanting to learn how to play the drums instead of the piano classes he was forced to take.
There was nothing childlike about being verbally abused and having to watch your dad hit your mom whenever she tries to defend you when he hits you, There was nothing childlike in learning how to speak fluently in 13 different languages at 10 while his mates were still learning how to eat properly without dropping crumbs.
Unlike his father, his grandfather Louis Salvador who had built the Salvador conglomerate with his hands from scratch was warm and kind, completely selfless in fact for him Christmas was whenever he was allowed to go spend some time with both his grandma and Pa, a holiday that does take place after a standoff involving his father and his Nonna, An affectionate name he do call his grandma.
And most times Nonna usually gets the upper hand.
His Nonna was an Irish island girl who was swept off her feet by his grandfather, A story they had told countless times whenever he and his little sister visited but never grew old.
Despite how refined Nonna was, her island temper was one to reckon with and she doesn't take shit especially from his father. She was tough and was nothing like his timid soft-spoken mother who was very comfortable acting trophy wife for his insensitive jerk of a father.
He could still remember how she had tried to make up excuses for all his inadequacies. Missed birthdays, missed graduation parties, his mother always chants her mantra, he is trying to give us a comfortable life.
It still shocks him how she sleeps at night knowing fully well that all those times he was cock deep inside a tramp and gold digger he had picked on the way rather than spend it with his family, how she still lives with a man that disregards her, hits her and makes her clean all his mess while she just puts on a smile and takes it all.
Their home was more like a house, big and cold, it was nothing compared to being with Nonna and Grandpa where there was love, warmth, and laughter.
He closed his eyes his heart still clenching after all these years by the reminder of their tragic death, Nonna had died of Cancer and Grandpa had followed months after. His mom had said they were soulmates, inseparable, they had a soul connection and one couldn't do without another.
He chuckled drily at how his 14-year-old self has been completely thrilled by that fantasy and how he had longed to find someone that made him belong, that completes him but 13 years later and now he laughs when he hears the term soulmates.
But apart from the fantasy he had allowed himself to believe in, he had also made a promise to make the Salvador Inc grow in strength, a vow that strengthened with each year that passes, a vow he was finally having the chance to fulfill now he was the CEO of the company.
He closed his eyes as the great responsibility he was currently shouldering momentarily resurfaced dawning on him.
"What I wouldn't do for your boiled bananas right now Nonna." He whispered wistfully wanting nothing more than to be the little boy who thought his father wanted the best for him, Go back to the time when he idolized him not knowing that the man was a selfish manipulator who could love no one but himself, a cheating scumbag, a failure to fatherhood and a bad husband.
Mr. Dominic Salvador has never been a saint, he was even more disgusting and a pig of a man in his more youthful years as Xavier remembered in distaste how many times he had walked into a compromising scene involving his father and a woman that wasn't his mother but back then he had the decency to be discreet.
His father was never one to make mistakes so Xavier knew that his latest public misconduct was intentional and that's what puzzled him even more.
He emptied the content of the second shot in his mouth hitting the glass against the table with more force than intended.
"I would have what he is having please." A little unsure voice said behind him.
He turned curiously to see two sets of very spectacular, unsure yet determined coffee brown eyes starring right back at him.
She winked at him sliding on top of the barstool next to him as the bartender served her a shot of tequila.
He studied her in her short black gown, red daring lipstick, and fuck me red stilettos that made her long legs endless as he couldn't help but imagine her completely naked with just the heels on her, wrapped around his waist.
While he thrust into her against any and every hard surface easing off the rage that was about consuming him. She was gorgeous but not in the socialite frigid manner he was used to spotting in most of the drop-dead gorgeous women in his social circle.
He was a business partner and co-owner with Mr stone the owner of lights club and he visited the place quite often especially when he wants to blow off some steam and knew her face was not a familiar one since he had a feeling he wouldn't forget a face like her's if he had seen her before.
He smiled at the cute way she was studying the tequila, she looked nothing like the one-night stand type of girl and on a normal day, a girl with the commitment vibes written all over her would make him run the other direction.
She cemented his thoughts by shaking her head adorably at the taste of the tequila, her mouth set in a tight line confirming it was the first time she was tasting it and this was not her normal scene which means she was too good for him.
"God, what do they put into this stuff dog piss?" She asked staring skeptically at her glass of tequila.
He chuckled shocked at the sound of his laughter and even more shocked that it took a woman he hasn't known for more than 5 minutes despite the murderous intent he harbored against his father which involves his fist and maybe a broken nose to produce that sound from him.
"Hi." She whispered blatantly checking him out.
"A picture would last longer." He cockily muttered not able to help himself at the way her eyes were drinking in every detail of him so openly.
She flushed, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red giving him another valid reason why he should leave her the fuck alone, she was hot and unbelievably adorable at the same time, a very lethal combination she wasn't aware she possessed and that's what was added to the charm, how clueless and unaware she was of how breathtaking she looked.
She discreetly tugged at her little dress but as a businessman trained to follow every little movement and dissect every sound, he caught that movement gathering she wasn't quite comfortable in her skin-tight gown that was currently making him hot and bothered as he could notice the generous swell of her breast and her womanly perfect hips.
His instant reaction to her body came as a surprise to him since he prided himself as a man with loads of self-control, he had met a variety of very stunning women who did nothing for him.
He could even recite a speech while getting a blow job, that was how composed he could be and it shocked him how one petite woman could disarm him completely and blow his mind.
"Hi." He mumbled back giving her the cold look that always scared people off, A formula tested and trusted but she didn't even budge.
Her smile grew wider if that was even possible and her eyes glinted with curiosity shocking him, great! He just got her even more interested In him.
"Tough day huh?" She asked her expression giving nothing away.
Xavier couldn't believe he had let his guard down and had not thought of the possibility of her just acting clueless.
He was a familiar face on social media and the possibility of her not knowing who she was talking to was almost impossible, the media was always in his business which was not by choice but Xavier has learned the hard way that being young, good looking, and successful was good for juicy headlines.
For all, he knew she could be a reporter or a blogger.
"Why would you say that?" He suspiciously asked trying to sound as casual as possible.
She chuckled, the sexy sound like music to his ears.
"Well for starters you are holding that glass like you want to crush it," she commented making him notice his strong grip on his glass of tequila.
He shrugged and dropped it.
"We have been talking for approximately five minutes and I have watched you take like three shots of this..." she stopped her face contorted in disgust as she struggled for the right adjective to use on an alcohol that was making her doubt the sanity of everyone that takes it.
"..... Like what the fuck would make anyone take something so awful and continue?" She asked genuinely shocked while he reveled in how carefree her voice sounded, it was not refined or fake, she was not even trying to impress him obviously because she just cursed in front of him.
For the first time in his life, somebody was saying what they wanted to say without trying to make an impression or get something from him and he loved it.
Xavier has never been familiar with the bond friendship, almost everyone that hung out with him wanted something from him or with him.
His childhood was not really friends friendly as he was too busy to build that bond and the socialites who he shared a drink or two with during fundraisers and classical ball were always wearing big smiles for his benefit and bending backward trying to please him hated his guts and just wanted him to invest his money on one of their little projects couldn't exactly be called friends.
The social circle he run in was filled with fake fucked up people with their make-believe perfect life sipping champagne, pretending to care while they just wanted to know how deep your pockets were and how fucked up you are.
He shook his head not believing he was contemplating sitting down and allowing a stranger bulldoze her way into walls he has spent years building, he didn't make small talks with women, he fucked them, banged them uncomplicatedly.
"Well guess you are correct." He said standing up and then walking out, desperate to put enough distance between himself and this gorgeous embodiment of everything he wasn't looking for but desired anyway.